Abby Sewell| The Daily Star
BEIRUT: A group of activists campaigning for reforms to Lebanon’s nationality law, who have rejected a recent pitch from the National Commission for Lebanese Women, urgedParliament Thursday to take up one of two broader plans for discussion.

The current law allows Lebanese men, but not women, married to foreigners to pass their nationality to their children and spouses.

A proposal submitted last August by MP Hadi Aboul Hosn, which would give women the same rights as men with regard to nationality - without exception - was never taken up for discussion. A similar proposal was introduced last month by Future Movement MP Rola Tabsh.

“We have two legal proposals that represent the demands of civil society,” said Karima Chebbo, coordinator of the “My Nationality is a Right for Me and My Family” campaign, at a news conference Thursday. “What happened to these laws? They’re still sitting in the drawers at Parliament.”

The campaign has taken a stance against a third, more limited pitch, submitted last month by the NCLW head Claudine Aoun Roukoz, President Michel Aoun’s daughter.

The law as proposed by the commission would let women give their nationality to their children, but not spouses, and would make a distinction between minor and adult children. Children under the age of 18 when the law is enacted would get citizenship, while adults would get a “green card” for five years and then could apply for citizenship.

“We don’t accept any discrimination between men and women, between women and other women, between children and other children,” said Iqbal Doughan, an attorney and member of the campaign.